Wheel alignment 'good' but steering wheel off centre

Technical Area Steering & Suspension
2

Hi,

The steering wheel is off centre on my 2005 MK3.  Simple I thought.  Get the alignmnet fixed!

My local garage checked the alignment and it is seemingly spot on.

What else could it be?  Steering rack itself not quite right?

 

  • It's only slighlty off.
  • Car stays straight if I let go of the wheel.
  • Tyre wear doesn't appear to be uneven
  • I bought the car as a cat D right off - the back end had cracked bumper, dented nearside rearr wing, damaged lights etc.
 

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

3

Hi,

It may only be a case of turning the track rod ends a fraction either side but you really need a 4 wheel set up to be sure, especially if it’s had a bump and is new to you. They set the wheel straight ahead and jam it with a brace against the seat then set the alignment straight ahead. Had 2 cars done last year and they come out spot on Thumbs up

4

 or the wheel has been off and it is a spline out!

5

 The mk3 has a steering angle sensor that works with the traction control/abs etc

IT MUST be set up correctly…

 

 

6

Thank you for the suggestions guys.

Would all the suggestions be picked up (fixed) by a ‘good’ wheel alignment specialist?  Or is a trip to a Mazda dealer?

7

 Better off going to an alignment specialist. I don’t know the Mk3 at all but I spun my Mk2.5 on black ice and bumped the kerb with the back wheel. I went to a tyre place to get the tracking checked, they adjusted it but after that my steering wheel was no longer centred. I asked around on the forums about causes and pointed in the direction of a 4 wheel alignment. Found a recommended specialist locally with a hunter hawkeye (I think thats what it’s called) machine. It cost me about £60 but they gave me a full printout of what they had done and what was wrong in the first place. A 4 wheel alignment done by people who know what they are doing is a worthwhile investment.

Colin

8

Use a good specialist, Mazda dealers are not good at alignment